Kosmos

Culture, travel, fashion and culinary delights: the Kosmos pages of Lufthansa Magazin bring you interesting and useful tidbits from around the world

Culture clash

Learning to play a musical instrument: be creative and pick something exotic!

India

Sitar

Guitars have six strings, so what’s the big deal? Well, actually, an Indian sitar has 20 and is a lot harder to play. But if you like a challenge, there are courses offered at the holy city of Varanasi on the Ganges River.

Australia

Didgeridoo

It sounds like a whale in an indoor pool. The good news is that it is quite easy to learn simple melodies on the didgeridoo and there are workshops in Sydney. Plus: Practicing regularly helps you snore less.

South Tyrol

Alphorn

Making a pleasant sound with an alphorn isn’t hard. But after learning the knack, you may find that your neighbors object to practice sessions, as the sound carries up to ten kilometers out in the open.

Aim for the sky

Who says you need mountains to go climbing? There are plenty of alternatives in the shape of spectacular climbing walls on churches, dams and the cooling towers of nuclear power plants.

Awesome walls

Built 150 years ago, St. Alban’s Church in Liverpool, England, inspires aspiration to other spheres. Today, visitors no longer come here to pray, but to climb its venerable walls, including an overhanging 17.5-meter lead wall.

Powerful thrill

The cooling tower of the former nuclear reactor in Kalkar, Germany, stands 58 meters high and has been repurposed as a climbing wall. If you prefer a different kind of thrill, there’s a roller coaster next door.

Head in the clouds

Surrounded by authentic Alpine peaks, the steep wall of the Lago di Luzzone reservoir in Switzerland offers a unique challenge: It is the world’s highest artificial climbing wall with 650 holds over a vertical distance of 163 meters.

Stylish safari

The Okavango Delta covers more than 20 000 square kilometers and is home to a staggering variety of species, including elephants, lions, hippos and leopards. Stylish, sustainable Sandibe Lodge with its twelve luxurious wooden chalets is in the middle of the great outdoors.

Snap Touch

Win one of five digital instant cameras by cult brand Polaroid. The digital camera allows you to snap, print, and share all of your favorite photos instantly with app-driven creative & new Bluetooth connectivity.

If you would like to take part in the draw, please send an email with “Polaroid” in the subject line to lhmagazin@territory.de. The deadline for entries is August 31. We will notify you by email if you win.

High flyer

The Roosevelt Island Tramway, an aerial tramway that connects the largely car-free district of Roosevelt Island with Manhattan, was supposed to be a temporary line until the subway under the East River was completed. Work on the subway was delayed and New Yorkers loved the tram so much that they refused to give it up – much to the delight of many tourists.